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1 Peter 4:10, 11 - Gifts with Grace to the Glory of God.

1 Peter 4:10, 11 (NLT) God has given each of 
you a gift from his great variety of spiritual 
gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do 
you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as 
though God himself were speaking through you. Do 
you have the gift of helping others? Do it with 
all the strength and energy that God supplies. 
Then everything you do will bring glory to God 
through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him 
forever and ever! Amen.  

INTRODUCTION

Our abilities should be faithfully used in 
serving others; none are for our own exclusive 
enjoyment. Some people, well aware of their abilities, 
believe that they have the right to use their 
abilities as they please. Others feel that they have 
no special talents at all. Peter addresses both 
groups in these verses. Everyone has some gifts; 
find yours and use them. Peter mentions speaking 
and serving. Paul lists these and other 
abilities in Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, and 
Ephesians 4:11. Even as you seek to discover your 
gifts, if you see a need in the church, seek to 
meet it. You may find gifts in areas you might 
not have guessed! [Life Application SB] 

COMMENTARY PEARL

The Gift of Service
   Just as our bodies need exercise to be 
strong physically, our faith needs exercise if we 
are to be strong spiritually. 
   It has often been noted that several 
rivers flow into the Dead Sea, but no river flows 
from it. That's why its water has become so 
saturated with minerals over the centuries that 
nothing is able to live in it. Without any outlet it 
indeed has become a "dead" sea. The same is true 
with us. If we keep faith to ourselves, if we 
never allow it to flow through us to enrich 
others, and if it has no outlet, then we will find 
ourselves like the Dead Sea - life-less and 
spiritually dead. 
   God wants to use you right where you are. 
Every day you probably come into contact with 
people who will never enter a church or talk with a 
pastor or open a Bible. You may be the bridge God 
uses to bring them to His Son, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Anyone can be a servant, no matter how 
inadequate he or she may feel. 
   How can God's love flow through you in 
someone's life? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham] 

COMMENTARY

   When we accepted Christ as our Redeemer, 
we accepted the condition of becoming laborers 
together with God. We made a covenant with Him to be 
wholly for the Lord; as faithful stewards of the 
grace of Christ, to labor for the upbuilding of 
His kingdom in the world. Every follower of 
Christ stands pledged to dedicate all his powers of 
mind and soul and body to Him who has paid the 
ransom money for our souls. We engaged to be 
soldiers, to enter into active service, to endure 
trials, shame, reproach, to fight the fight of 
faith, following the Captain of our salvation. 
   In your connection with worldly societies 
are you keeping your covenant with God? Do these 
associations tend to direct your own mind or that of 
others to God, or are they diverting the interest 
and attention from Him? Do they strengthen your 
connection with the divine agencies, or turn your mind 
to the human in place of the divine? 2SM124 

ILLUSTRATION

   My eighty-something-year-old coffee 
buddy, Pat, walks two miles every morning, texts a 
prayer to nearly one hundred people each day, and 
spends many afternoons mentoring me in my new 
season of life as an empty nester. 
   Recently, I began to notice changes in 
her complexion and exhaustion in her eyes. Pat 
confessed she'd been skipping her walks and taking 
more naps. We both agreed she should see a 
doctor. 
   First, the doctor scheduled an EKG, then 
an echocardiogram, and finally a stress test. 
Nothing peculiar surfaced, so he adjusted her 
medication. "The doctor says I have a good heart," she 
reported. 
   A good heart indeed! No medical testing 
is required to reveal Pat's goodness. She 
organizes Bible studies and prayer groups, recruits 
for a global mission project, and raises money 
to purchase Bibles for a local orphanage. She 
slips a book about grief into the hands of a 
recent widower, encourages new foster parents 
through a difficult challenge, and provides a 
temporary home for a sister in need. 
   Pat has the gifts of teaching, 
compassion, and listening. She's generous with her time 
and money. Her heart belongs to Jesus, but she 
also has given Him her hands to do His work, her 
feet to follow His path, and her lips to speak 
His truth. 
   Pat may be mentoring me as I become an 
empty nester, but what I most need to learn is how 
to have a heart like hers. Karen Sargent 
   Faith Step: Do you have a friend with a 
good heart? How does she use her gifts to serve? 
Find ways you can mirror her service and bless 
others. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by 
Guideposts and Zondervan] 

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY 

1 Peter 4:10, 11: Gifts with Grace to the 
Glory of God. 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210601-1029.html 

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190901-1117.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/